Red Bank

Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The area was inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans before the arrival of European settlers, and Red Bank was named in 1736 after Thomas Morford sold the area to Joseph French. Beginning in the 17th century, the area was settled by English colonists, and it became a center for shipbuilding, with its population growing rapidly after 1809 when regularly scheduled passenger ships were established to serve the route to Manhattan. By 1844, Red Bank had become a commercial and manufacturing center, and it grew in size due to its steamboat traffic to New York City, turning Red Bank into a commuter town. Red Bank was a strong cultural, economic, and political center in Monmouth County until the 1987 recession hit, and its retail industry declined due to a real estate scandal; the town was soon nicknamed "Dead Bank". After 1991, urban redevelopment projects began, and Red Bank returned to being a center of culture in the county. Between the 1980s and the 2000s, Red Bank transformed from a poverty-stricken, predominantly African-American town into a popular commercial and cultural center populated mostly by whites and Hispanics (especially Mexicans). In 2016, Red Bank had a population of 12,160 people.